Scent's Affect on Mood

Lilac....even the word stimulates an emotional response. Our perception of scent is more than our likes and dislikes of the scent itself. Smells evoke an emotional response...images of lilac fields, and memories tied to that scent are deeply infused in your brain giving you a unique experience. One person's perception of a scent can be very different than another persons experience. 

Even as I am writing this blog early in the morning coffee is brewing in the house. The aromas are teasing my nose and all I can think about is how amazing that first sip will be. Images of roasting coffee beans flash before my eyes, and I am practically overwhelmed with sensory sensations.

Your experience with scents is unique. Sometimes you can have a bad emotional response to a scent. I don't want to embarrass a friend here so I won't name any names, but we know of someone who had a night of heavy drinking. The next morning they started their morning routines, shaved and got out their favorite aftershave. As soon as they splashed it on they became sick, and ever since then they can't be around someone who uses that aftershave. The scent of that aftershave is wonderful, but for this individual it triggers an emotional response that is negative.

According to “The Smell Report” by Kate Fox of MCM Research, “Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system, the most ancient and primitive part of the brain, which is thought to be the seat of emotion. Smell sensations are relayed to the cortex, where ‘cognitive’ recognition occurs, only after the deepest parts of our brains have been stimulated. Thus, by the time we correctly name a particular scent as, for example, ‘vanilla’ , the scent has already activated the limbic system, triggering more deep-seated emotional responses.”

Featured Candle: His & Hers

The “His & Hers” set is the perfect way to keep the peace. For him you get one 10 oz Cube of Abercrombie & Fitch (M) (*type). For her you get one 10 oz Cube of Victoria Secret – Love Spell (*type).

An Intro to our website

Why Soy?

Soy wax is the newest candle wax alternative to hit the market place. Soy wax was invented by Michael Richard in 1991 as an alternative to Beeswax. His new wax blend was made available to the public in 1995 when a national chain store started offering these soy candles to the general public. Although the blend was intended to be an alternative to Beeswax it still contained Beeswax until 1996 when Michael Richard succeeded in replacing it.

Before starting our candle company a lot of research was done to make sure that we developed a company that would reflect our expectations and values. We're environmentally conscious people. We recycle, we use twisted spiraled light bulbs through-out our home, we unplug devices when they are not being used. We're not perfect but we try to do the right thing and keep our earth's best intentions in our thoughts.

Soy wax seemed like the best fit for our company. Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. The soy wax we use in our candles support American Agriculture by using only American Farmer's soybeans. That's important to us. Soy wax is also biodegradable, a renewable resource, and all natural. We know that those terms get tossed around until they almost loose meaning but they are at the heart of our company.

So why else would we choose soy wax over other alternatives...how does it preform against the competition. Well here are the claims. Soy wax candles last 50% longer than candles made of petroleum-based paraffin (which is the what most candles are made of). Soy wax burns at a cooler temperature and burns slower, they are non-toxic, produce very little soot, and are actually less likely to trigger allergies.

For these reasons and many more we felt that soy wax was the right choice for Flickerby Candles and we hope you feel the same.

So Why A Blog?

I guess its a question that deserves to be addressed, and why not as our first blog post? At Flickerby Candles each direction we take in social media, and technology has purpose. This blog will allow us to engage an audience in such a way that is more expressive than our 140 character Tweets, or sharing a link, joke, video, or comment on Facebook. This blog will allow our readers the unique ability to get to know us, our thoughts, and philosophy and its relative application in the way we conduct our business.

So I hope that you find this blog to be interesting and informative. We'll cover a lot of ground here and who knows where this journey will take us. Feel free to engage and express but be kind as you do so.